John F. Dillon III

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John F. Dillon III

1938 ~ 2024

Having lived a life rich with friends, laughter and accomplishment, John passed away peacefully on Jan. 19 at his home in Salt Lake City with family by his side. John was the only child of Emma and John Dillon, Jr., and was born on the high plains of Grafton, North Dakota. He grew up in the nearby small town of Park River. After graduating cum laude in mechanical engineering at the University of North Dakota with an ROTC scholarship, he completed his meteorology studies at the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1961 at the University of Chicago. It was there on a blind date that John met Susan Schorr; he married her shortly after.

Susan and John were married for over 30 years and had three sons, John IV, David and James. As a first lieutenant Air Force meteorologist stationed at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, he acquired a lifelong fascination with air travel. In 1963, he began work at the Trane Company in Des Moines, Iowa, where he sold HVAC products and trained contractors for four years. By 1969, he had used his sales commissions to attain a Master of Business Administration at Harvard University. Later that year, with their two sons, he and Susan moved from Boston to Salt Lake in their red Volkswagen Beetle so that John could begin his role as operations manager at Climate Control.

In 1976, he became company president and five years later renamed it CCI Mechanical. In 1984, John served as president of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America. After 33 years at CCI, he retired. He was a longtime board member of WMC Industries, board member of the Salt Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and member of the following: Salt Lake Rotary Club, YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization), Alta Club, Salt Lake Swimming and Tennis Club, Ambassador Duck Club, Salt Lake Country Club and founder of the Pine Springs Investment Club. He was a member of St. Ambrose Parish in Salt Lake City.

He is survived by sons John (Hester) of Dillon, Montana, Dave (Thale) of Missoula, Montana, Jim of Salt Lake City, grandsons Luke and Mats, granddaughter Annika, and cousin Johnny Trygg (Judy) of Bismarck, North Dakota.

The Dillons are grateful for friends’ love, prayers and support to John, and for Ou and Vai, Active Hospice, and other caregivers for their help. A memorial gathering is being planned to celebrate John’s life, details to come.